Hundreds of raptors seen migrating over the Maltese Islands on Thursday

One of the biggest migrations of raptors in recent years, took place across the Maltese Islands on Thursday, said Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU).

Raptors composed mainly of Harries and Buzzards were seen migrating over and around the Malta and Gozo from about 10.30am and flocks of over 300 at one time were spotted at 2.00pm, it said.

According to KSU the migration continued till dusk, “with most of the raptors not stopping to roost, but continued on with their journey south, most probably due to the unstable weather over the sea.”The hunters added that “it was also reported by fishermen that similar number migrated over the sea, past the Maltese islands, so the actual number were even more extraordinary.”

KSU said that its members counted hundreds and hundreds, including Falcons and Kites, but the numbers for Harries and Buzzards surpassed the thousand mark.

Friday morning, KSU said that its members are continuing to monitor the migration, “observing the raptors which roosted, leaving early morning to continue their journey.”

KSU thanked their members who, they said, “at this time of the year keep records and spend time in the field for migration observation.”It also highlighted “the exceptional behaviour of the majority of hunters, who along with bird watchers took to the field on strategic locations to witness this migration.”

KSU went on to point out the “lack of publicity by BirdLife Malta and CABS, who only issue news when a bird is shot.”

It concluded by saying that “such instances of mass migration should be promoted so that people are aware of the numbers that migrate over Malta and Gozo and could enjoy the spectacle.”